Community-based Conservation in Costa Rica:Costa Rica is a small, beautiful country with a relatively stable democracy in place. Home to several types of forests, as well as mangroves, wetlands, and volcanoes, Costa Rica has a rich biodiversity of life that is protected under 30 national parks, refuges and reserves; in all, 27% of the country is under some sort of environmental protection or reserve (2). With its incredible biodiversity and stable, environmental-minded government, Costa Rica has garnered the attention of conservationists worldwide. This sort of attention has the potential to bring mixed results, with respect to both the indigenous populations as well as the natural systems intended for protection.

I. Background of Costa Rican Conservation Efforts A. Politics and the environmentB. National Park System